New Dawn
by LoveMachineLX
Summary: Four years ago, Sarah and John Connor were among the most wanted in America. Abandoned to the test of time after Judgment Day failed to occur, the Connors now struggle to find their place in the world of 2013. But as a new evil awakens, it is up to the Connor Clan to resume their fugitive status and eliminate the threat, before it goes too far. And New York will never be the same.


_**My little love letter to the four year anniversary of "Born to Run", the final episode of the series. This story is dedicated to all fans of TSCC, past and present. Remember, if you're reading this, you are the Resistance. Now let's get to it.  
**_

* * *

_**2009**_

_"Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of ZeiraCorp Co-Founder and CEO, Catherine Weaver, as well as the recent current takeover and liquidation of her company just weeks after her last sighting. LAPD has notified friends and family that the investigation into her disappearance is still ongoing. Meanwhile members of the board filed an injunction to try and stem the damage, but the current downfall in ZeiraCorp stock has left industry experts pessimistic about the company's future."_

_"The escape of Sarah Connor from the LA County Sheriff's Office still is a hot topic among the general public, provoking a 576% increase in internet searches and blog postings. The case itself, reaching its third decade, has been called into question as other recent events have come into the light. Her son, 17-year-old John Connor, is also wanted by LAPD. The police are encouraging anybody with pertinent information regarding the location and apprehension of the Connor family should contact the LAPD's newly established hotline."_

_"The online community is one fire regarding the images showing the chief suspect in the assault on the LA Sheriff's Office which led to the escape of suspected domestic terrorist Sarah Connor. The girl's identity remains unknown, but has been confirmed to be the same person who aided in her dramatic bank escape in New Mexico 1999. Several enhanced images show what appears to be metal plating and other peculiar features from the girl's body as she attacked deputies that afternoon."_

_"It is with great honor and privilege that we reinstate James Ellison to the rank of Special Agent within the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A star on the UCLA basketball team for a time, James enrolled in the FBI Academy to serve his country, serving with distinction for fifteen years before taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. As his personal friend and colleague, I couldn't be happier to see him back."_

_"White teenager, suspected age of seventeen, appeared this morning in what is described by witnesses as a 'giant ball of light'. Details at 11."_

_**2010**_

_"...it has been one year since the Connor family was last seen. The case, which has shifted over to the FBI, will remain open for the time being. The reward for the apprehension of Sarah and John Connor has also increased from $25,000 to $40,000 as both remain #4 on the FBI's Most Wanted List."_

_"ZeiraCorp officially announced its bankruptcy after the primary shareholder, who remains anonymous at this time and only recently acquired ownership of the company, began the process of liquidation. No word on how this will affect the government contracts still under ZeiraCorp's name."_

_"...a rogue nationalist group known only as 'Kaliba' was officially disbanded after a desperate standoff between the group's leadership and local police forces turned sour. The group, which was responsible for a series of bombings and homicides throughout the state of California, met its demise yesterday morning. Shortly into the crisis' fourteenth hour, the safe house where the last members of the group was lost to an sudden explosion which police are still investigating. Witnesses state seeing a lone woman fleeing the scene..."_

_"Next on Inside Edition: a future dominated by machines? Friend and new best-selling author Matthew Murch joins the show and gives us an insight look into the mind of Sarah Connor and why her deepest fears may not be far off."_

_"Osama Bin Laden is dead. President Obama concludes that 'justice has been done' and that a new period of healing can begin for the United States. But the Global War on Terror will continue, stresses the Defense Secretary._

_"Drawdown is expected in both Iraq and Afghanistan as the proposed withdrawal of troops has finally been authorized by both the President and Congress."_

_"NASA's experimental AI program, codenamed "Capricorn", is picking up steam in the scientific community. 'We remain confident that the program will be a huge success, and increase our operational capacity to as much as three-fold.' says the program's director._

_"New 'J-Day 2011, I Want To Believe' t-shirts on sale for a limited time."_

_**2011**_

_"Matthew Murch was found shot to death today in his home this morning. Police have officially ruled it a homicide and are urging local residents to exercise caution as they conduct their business in local neighborhoods."_

_"Two software development companies were subject to an improvised burglary after affiliations with the Department of Defense were leaked in local newspapers..."_

_"The White House once again denies that any experimental AI program is currently in development. And that nuclear silos are still within full control of their designated military and government authorities."_

_"The much coveted 'Judgment Day', as formulated by internet conspiracy theorists, has arrived. Young people across a variety of college campuses have begun 'Resistance Parties' around the country in preparation for a proposed apocalyptic man-machine conflict. Sounds like another excuse to skip finals, right Dave?"_

_"News is spreading all across the board as several stores have sold out their entire supply to last-minute doomsday preppers. 'Somewhere, Sarah and John Connor would be proud', comments an anonymous legislator."_

_"Well, Mr. O'Reilly, April 22 has arrived and still no rogue nuclear launches have seemingly occurred. What we do have is several injuries and at least one death resulting in a handful of riots that were quickly suppressed by the local police. 'Life goes on', says the new chief of LAPD, three days after he was sworn into office."_

_"Sarah and John Connor removed from the Most Wanted List. FBI still designates them as 'persons of interest' and classifies them as highly dangerous."_

_"'Scary Robot Girl', the female teenager accomplice involved in the 1999 New Mexico incident as well as the Sarah Connor escape in 2009 develops new found fame on internet forums." _

_**2012**_

_"My fellow Americans, our union is strong..."_

_"Three dead, eight injured in newest incident involving police forces..."_

_"Rumors of a Sarah Connor sighting in northern New Hampshire..."_

_"Mike, just this time last year we had a woman and her teen son scare the world into believing that machines would rise up and kill us all. This idea surrounding our current fiscal budget cuts is starting to ring a similar tone..."_

_"As the wars in the Middle East draw to a close, a new series of investigations are underway regarding the alleged misconduct of several military figures. Has our military idealism led us down the right path? Where has the leadership gone? Tell us now on Twitter or on our Facebook page."_

_"$10 trillion in debt, and for what? Unemployment is reaching 10%. Why spend more money on developing government technology programs when we can't even take care of our citizens?"_

_"General David Petraeus has officially stepped down, citing an extramarital affair. General John Allen, current commander of the International Security Assistance Force, also under investigation."_

_"The FBI has declared Sarah Connor dead after finding personal effects and human remains in a home she believed to have rented for over two years. Her son is also suspected to have been murdered at her hands shortly after the so-called 'Day of Judgment' on April 21, 2011."_

_"Sarah Connor? Isn't she that bartender at the cheesecake factory? Pretty face, KILLER rack. Let me tell you..."_

_"I've never heard of John Connor. Probably just another California freeloader looking for stardom. Never hear of him. Never will."_

* * *

**_TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES_**

* * *

_It's an endless road. Even at night, I still think about it. Dream about it. I know it to be real, the ash clouds and murky light, just as he told me. Just as he gave me a son, and a mission to forever protect him. Even as Judgment Day came and passed, I still know deep down that we will never be safe. Four years have passed since that day in the ZeiraCorp basement. I don't know what he saw when he stepped into that light. _

_But when he came back, I was relieved that he was still my son. But things weren't the same between us, I've grown to accept that. It's funny... the things lost in time that we hold most dear. It's now been one year since I last saw him. I'd like to think he has still committed to the fight, but a man whose moment of destiny has seemingly gone and passed over him can only take so much. Me... I know better._

_The being known as Death has walked the earth since the beginning of time, watching us... studying us. Carrying us to a new life of dreams or nightmares when the final hour arose. Even in a world with bleached skulls and nuclear fire, he still continues - collecting the souls that are still owed to him. Now that future is gone from me. There was no Judgment Day, there were no more attempts on John's life, and there was no need for a new savior to lead mankind to a new, promising world. _

_I traveled for years looking for an answer, searching for the reason why we avoided the nuclear light. Was it because of what he did on that day, when he left in that dark basement? Did he come back victorious? I don't know. And for a time, I looked all over the world, looking for any indication of SkyNet. I never found it. If it weren't for 'her' it may still seem that this was end of a bad dream. I can't buy into that. I still must be ready. I don't know what's out there. And if there is something... I need to be ready.  
_

* * *

**"You've been alone for a long time now. You think you're free. That was a lie from the beginning. Four years of planning... of waiting. You still don't know all the lives lost... and all the opportunities that the Connor family has destroyed. Judgment Day may have been avoided. But your judgment has finally arrived. A _New Dawn_ is coming. And from this moment on, none of you are safe."**

* * *

**2013**

**THE IRAN-IRAQ BORDER.  
**

Four years ago, the name 'Sarah Connor' meant something. There was a time when she was known to many as a warrior, prophet, lunatic, terrorist, mother, friend, thief, and murderer. She was ruthless, relentless to the pursuit. Her face was familiar to the news stations that decorated Los Angeles County.

But that was four years ago. Now she was the relic of a time gone by. Nothing she had said ever came to fruitation. But that wouldn't stop her.

She looked outside her jeep window as the road came to an end. Her driver delivered a brief grunt as he switched over the four-wheel drive and continued on the path before him.

The cloud of sand whispered in the distance as they approached the site, and Sarah Connor immediately knew that her day was wasted. As the sun bore down overhead, she motioned her arm to the man sitting in the driver's seat and both dismounted once the Jeep was powered off. Sarah had trouble keeping the scarf around her head as she walked with her guide through the thick sand. She was glad she managed to hang on to her Aviator sunglasses, any sort of shield against the sand blowing in the wind was a blessing. It was hot, arid, and small version of hell. Despite that, Sarah kind've liked it.

"This is it." The man said with a thick Iranian accent after twenty minutes of hiking in the desert.

Sarah withdrew her canteen and took a hard swig. Even though it was her second month in-country, Sarah still didn't adjust well to the blazing heat. She looked around the brazen battlefield and noticed the wreckage left behind. All sorts of military equipment still lay dormant and abandoned in the sand, the coats of red still visible on them.

This was the battle site she had been looking for. Where men met with other men and took arms against one another for the sake of their ideologies.

"Here." Sarah said, pointing to the destroyed humvee to her right. "It started here."

The man nodded. "The Americans were the first to arrive, even though the village had been burning for an hour. That was their failing."

"I always thought being dependable was a good thing." Sarah replied.

"You are correct. But even our strengths can be used against us. Once a pattern is set, it is only a matter of time before your enemy gauges your predictability." The man said, closing his robe as the wind spat sand in his direction. "That's why the explosives were set here." He pointed to the deeply shredded portion of the vehicle, where an obvious explosion had taken out the wheel.

Sarah nodded in understanding. "They tried to get out, but the insurgent forces were waiting overhead with covering fire." Sarah motioned to the top of the nearby abandoned shack. "Still, it looks like the Americans were able to get out in time and establish some measure of security... and it looks like they got some good shots off."

She walked over to where three holes bore into the shack's side. She casually withdrew her knife and dug out a 5.56 round. "There's a little bit of blood on this one; a clean through-and-through."

"That was not from their enemy." The man pointed out, joining her at her right side.

"Who else?" Sarah asked.

"A small boy, roughly thirteen-years-old. Trying to carry his brother and sister to safety. The American who saw them mistook their intentions and gunned him down."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no reason for you to be. The insurgent forces disregarded the boy and his family just as well. The trap had been set hours in advance, yet no measure was taken to ensure the safety of the people they claimed to represent." The man said, balling one fist and then calmly extending it.

"How do you know all this?" Sarah asked out of curiosity.

"I used to frequent this village often, delivering water and supplies. He was always a well-mannered boy, brought great honor to his family. His parents miss him dearly."

"Do they hate us for what happened to him?"

"No. For many, Allah acts in a just reason. They can only be happy for the rewards he has earned in his next life. For them, Americans are still instruments of God just as we are."

"That's unusual." Sarah said, getting a brief flashback of the hatred and urban in-fighting that dominated Los Angeles.

"Know the difference between loyalty and fanaticism closely. For it was the critical error that lead to years of war that cost thousands of lives."

Sarah tensed. She had already seen the shadows in the distance. Now they were closer.

"How much did they pay you?" Sarah asked, dropping the scarf from her face down to her neck.

"I'm sorry?" The man replied.

"When I hired you in the city, who did you tell?" Sarah asked.

"Not a soul." The man replied.

The shadows got closer, and Sarah quickly dropped her backpack and retrieved her nine-millimeter handgun.

"Please, don't bring more violence to this site! The dead here need not endure another battle!" The man pleaded as Sarah cocked the weapon.

"We'll see about that." Sarah said, assuming a defensive position by the humvee. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

A cloud of sand erupted as the multiple vehicles swarmed around the site. Sarah couldn't make out a thing as she heard car doors rapidly open and rapid footsteps occurring in the sand. That's when she heard it.

"Drop your weapon, now!" An American accent dominated her senses.

Sarah blinked as she struggled to make out the figures surrounding her.

"Interpol agents! You're surrounded. Drop your weapon and put your hands up, or you will be fired upon!"

Shit. Sarah thought. It had to have been the man she bribed at the embassy weeks ago. He finally got around to selling her out. How could she have been so stupid? She cursed herself silently as she eyed the automatic weapons pointed at her sternum.

"Go with God." The guide said as he dropped to his knees and interlocked his fingers behind his head.

"Easy for you to say." Sarah said, slowly laying her weapon down in the sand in front of her. "It's not in my nature."

"It can be." The man spoke to her a final time as the sand faded from her vision. "Never stop believing that greater forces are at work."

_You have no idea._

Sarah put her hands in the air as two agents clad in Kevlar vests worn over clean white button shirts approached her. She looked behind her, and discovered that the man she hired was now gone.

* * *

**LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SANTA MONICA PIER  
**

It was three a.m. when the time displacement bubble began to form in the former ZeiraCorp warehouse - a location lost to both time and proper up keeping.

The final flickers tossed a layer of dust that gave a complementing cloud of disdain to the drama that was about to unfold.

The man shivered uncontrollably as he knelt down in that crater he himself had created. Despite himself, he lurched forward and vomited. The skin that had long succumbed to a variety of scars and personal tattoos continued to perspire as the man struggled to regain his composure.

After two minutes, the man known to many in the 2027 Resistance as First Lieutenant Derek Reese slowly bent his head upward to catch the darkened moonlight on his face.

He couldn't believe it. He made it. His mission had officially begun. Still gasping and dealing with the aches and side effects of time travel, he scanned the area for all possible exits. The crater at his feet slowly spread the fire onto the nearby wood crates, making it catch aflame in moments. Derek knew he only had a little time before the whole building would catch. But the building wasn't his priority.

"2100 West Avenue. 2100 West Avenue. Two days, twelve minutes. Go now. Go, go, go!" Derek muttered to himself as he got to his feet and began running.

* * *

**UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES - DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE**

_"It was only with the international cooperation between U.S. government officials and Interpol that led to the apprehension and arrest of Sarah Connor yesterday afternoon..."_

The young man watched intently as CNN spelled out the news he had already heard the day before. Sitting in the student lounge of the computer science department was a great way to catch up on the news on their well-kept big screen TV... as well as steal some of their local bandwidth.

_Iraq? Really? What on earth was she thinking?_

"Mr. Carroll? John Carroll?"

The 21-year-old pulled out the earphones that he had used to listen to his iPod and turned to face the older man calling his name. Well, his fake name, at least. John Connor still wasn't a friendly alias to go by, even if no one was looking for him. To him, 'John Baum' had died four years ago, just like John Connor did in the public eye. It was his third year at the college and the newer lifestyle was slowly starting to wear on him.

"Yes?" John replied, clearing his throat and giving a brief scratch to the stubble on his face.

"Just wanted to let you know, this is the best paper I've read so far this semester." The bookish man said as he handed John a twenty-plus page binder. "It's a great improvement over your last project."

Oh, yeah. John thought. Thinking back to his previous project that was demonized by the entire department for the suggestion that artificial intelligence was developing branching patterns that would soon surpass human capability. To be honest, John knew it would be unacceptable ahead of time. Yet he wrote it anyway.

Even though he had attended the school for two years now, he still couldn't help the fact that he didn't belong. When he wasn't on the run with his mother, he was in school. That's all he knew. And that was an acceptable answer to Cameron once Judgment Day passed over them. He was relatively safe, secure, she could track his movements... and also get an education in the process - the golden stamp of approval for a terminator. Probably his mother too.

"Thanks." John replied, eying the paper in his hands that had a generous 98% hand-written on the front. "I appreciate that."

"I'm going to recommend you to see the Dean later next week. Truly great stuff." He gave a minor nod as he took his leave. "Keep it up!"

Again, John thanked him and the man was on his way. And, just as the professor rounded the corner, he tossed the paper in the trash.

"Well, if that isn't something. Sarah Connor's back." A female student approached John as he continued to observe the CNN report.

"Hey, Wendy." John said, motioning her to take a seat in the chair next to him. "Yeah, it's... something."

Wendy had been his classmate for the past two years now, meeting during one of the many class projects that they were assigned to. She was talented in a variety of things, John observed. But it was only recently when he learned of her hacking capabilities.

"I could've sworn that you were the one that said that she would stay underground. It's almost like Bin Laden all over again. The news hasn't been all over one person in a long time." The brunette said as she sat down.

"Yeah... it wasn't supposed to be like this." He sighed and buried part of his face in one hand.

"Did you want to head back to my place a little later?" Wendy suggested with a smile. "It'll be just like last year when we put together that digital sequence for midterms. C'mon... I got Cheetos."

"No. But thanks." John said, trying his best to hide his disinterest. "I have to go out of town for tonight. Rain check?"

"Sure." Wendy replied, slightly disappointed. "But don't keep a girl waiting for too long."

After exchanging goodbyes, Wendy stood up and walked away. John's eyes once again flirted with the news screen, just long enough to notice the brief headline regarding a warehouse fire that originated from a mysterious crater.

_"This just in: It looks like an impromptu hearing is going to take place at the Greater Los Angeles Courthouse as House Speaker Karen Burns wants to be first in line to take a swing at the famous Sarah Connor. More on this story as it develops."_

John Connor already knew that individual dots were already connecting somewhere. After all, he still had a bit of his mother's instincts in him. But first... he wouldn't allow his mother to remain in federal custody. She knew it. He knew it. But this would be the last time, he hoped. Maybe then he could start talking sense into her.

Pulling out his iPhone, John began scrolling through the list of names before finding the one he wanted.

_I hope she's not doing that water thing again._

* * *

**THE PACIFIC OCEAN - 414 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL**

There was almost peaceful nothingness. Silence.

Cameron was oblivious to the drama unfolding all around her from her sitting position on an ocean rock cliff. All around her, the underwater ecology continued its daily struggles for survival. Fish swam, the nearby coral swayed back and forth, and just seven feet away from her... fish eggs were hatching for the first time. It was life, at one of the most basic levels.

Still, Cameron remained rigid; sitting Indian-style with her hands planted firmly on her knees. Her eyes remained closed as she let her other sensory functions take in the scenery around her.

Despite her core processes urging her to do otherwise, Cameron was meditating.

The ancient Buddhist practice became attractive to the small terminator over the years, and it became a routine practice over the past six months. With John Connor focusing on his studies and rebuilding his life, he had encouraged her to find something to do with her time. A falty argument to present to machine that was programmed to ensure his safety, but there was a great deal of logic to it that she eventually succumbed to.

There hadn't been a threat to John Connor in over four years. He was now a myth, a legend that never was. Just as she remained a relic of a time that never occurred. Despite this, she continued her mission - monitoring the young man without deviation until... recently.

The water brought a sort of soothing quality to her abundant sensory detection... and granted her some increased clarity when it came to constructing a solution to her current predicament.

Above her, a shark made a daring attack on one of its prey, creating a red mist that, deep down, Cameron secretly enjoyed seeing. But her eyes remained closed. She was thinking about something greater. She must have an answer.

A low rumbling in her cargo pants pocket awoke her from her state. Reaching in casually, she withdrew the iPhone that she had modified to her liking. It was not only waterproof, but also had immediate access to the computer survelliance system at UCLA and the tracking device she had secretly planted on John a year ago. He still didn't know about it. And as long as it remained that way, Cameron's little deed of mischief wouldn't come back to haunt her.

Unlocking the main screen with her finger, she looked at the IM message that gave her off a feint glow on the ocean floor.

**JC2014**: Hey.

Cameron afforded a slight frown before typing her reply. A small school of fish passed by her as she hit enter, blissfully unaware of the terminator sending a text message nearby.

**CamCam99:** Hey.

A small whine of a dolphin echoed somewhere in the distance. Cameron shifted her gaze to see it dancing in the water a hundred feet above her. Then another message hit her phone.

**JC2014:** How are you?

**CamCam99: **I'm okay.

**JC2014: **What are you doing?

**CamCam99:** Thinking.

**JC2014: **Are you in the ocean again?

Cameron looked around again to watch the dolphin disappear in the distance, a squeal of delight echoing with it.

**CamCam99:** Maybe.

**JC2014:** I need you.

Cameron was taken aback. She already knew where this was going.

**CamCam99: **Sarah?

**JC2014:** How soon can you get here.

**CamCam99:** 2 hours, 39 minutes - depending on traffic.

**JC2014: **Make it an even 3 hours and catch a shower. I don't want you smelling like seawater again.

**CamCam99: **:-/

**JC2014:** Please?

*CamCam99 has left chat.

Cameron stood up, scaring off the local fish school and garnering the brief attention of the shark. She gave it a defiant glare, knowing who would win should a fight arise between the two. She then turned around and began to climb the long series of rocks that led her to the surface.

* * *

**LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE**

The helicopter began its final descent, landing with maximum precision on the tarmac after a six hour journey. Four soldiers departed, securing the outside while two federal agents escorted an auburn-haired woman clad in orange garb and a variety of shackles. Even despite this, Sarah remained perfectly comfortably. This wasn't her first rodeo after all.

A man in Air Force ABUs approached as one of the agents signed a clipboard and handed it to the helicopter's pilot.

"Sarah Connor, my name is Captain James Romano. I'll be escorting you to your quarters for the night. You'll be debriefed, issued a meal for dinner, a chance to shower, and a warm bed for the night. That is what I can promise you if you cooperate. Can you do that for me?"

Sarah admired the man's sincerity. It looks like a leave of absence from the limelight allowed some report to generate between her and the regular folk of government personnel. She liked that.

"Yes, Captain." Sarah replied dryly.

The Air Force officer took a moment to un-cuff all of Sarah's restraints and gave her a moment to rub her wrists and ankles tenderly.

"Did you miss me?" Sarah asked.

"I have two snipers trained on you from the adjacent buildings." Captain Romano said with wry humor. "Now follow me. It's a two minute walk from here."

Sarah smiled and gave a curt nod. Just as the man promised, the building where she would be holed up for the night greeted her in the distance. Shortly behind her, two Air Force sergeants followed her with M4s at the low-ready.

"Your hearing is scheduled at 0800 at the Courthouse. I want you up and ready to go around 0700. The House Speaker will meet you once we get there and you'll be transferred to custody of the LAPD Sheriff's Department." Captain Romano said as they approached the main doors. Two Airmen guarding the door tendered a salute in unison, which the officer returned in stride.

"Why am I going to trial so soon?" Sarah asked.

"Special request from the higher ups. You've made a lot of enemies in our government over the past four years, Ms. Connor. And they haven't forgot about you."

"Do I get a suit?" Sarah asked, motioning to her orange garbs.

"I'll see what I can do for you." Captain Romano said, opening the door for Sarah.

"An officer and a gentleman." Sarah said spryly. "Things really are different these days."

"Yes, ma'am. Now follow me."

After the officer fulfilled the promises he made to Sarah as she stepped onto the base, culminating in the finest meal she'd eaten in the past eighteen months, she moved to her lonely cot inside the cell reserved for her.

_All the old familiar places. At least the food's gotten better.  
_

Sarah sighed as she closed her eyes. She thought of John. And judging from his work four years prior, she knew what was going to happen next. Deep in the back of her mind, she hoped she was the only one.

* * *

**"Phase One is complete. Move to strike. We'll get her and the boy in one motion. Fourteen hours and counting. No mistakes."**


End file.
